Refrigerating apparatus



P 1949- I w. w. HIGHAM 2,483,007

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed March 5, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORATTORN EY W. W. HIGHAM REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed larch 5, 1946 3Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WILL/AM W H/GHAM EM W AT+ORNEYS W. W. HIGHAMRBFRIGERATING APPARATUS Sept. 27, 1949.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 5, 1946 FIG. 5

FIG. 4

INVENTOR WILL/AM W IGHAM BY I 4 r @137 ATTO RNEYJ Patented Sept. 27,1949 REFRIGERATING APPARATUS William W. Higham, Marion, Ohio, assignorto Newport Steel Corporation, a. corporation of Indiana ApplicationMarch 5, 1946, Serial No. 652,027

This invention relates to refrigeration and has particularly to do witha refrigerant compressor of the type commonly known as a sealed type ofcompressor wherein the driving electrical motor and the compressor aremounted within a sealed chamber or casing.

Some'of the features incorporated herein are embodied in therefrigerating unit disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No.652,026. filed March 5. 1946. The unit disclosed herein however is alarger unit in which there. are provided a plurality of compressorcylinders. In some respects the disclosure herein relates to an improvedconstruction in which the design is simplified and a minimum number ofparts are reouired.

One of the objects of my invention as disclosed herein is therefore theprovision of a refrigerating unit of the "sealed type" incorporating aplurality of compressor cylinders and having a minimum number of partsand improved construction.

A further object of my invention as disclosed herein is the provision ofa unitary casting including a plurality of compressor cylinders havin anintegral muiiler-manifold chamber positioned between the cylinders.

A further object of my invention is the provision of improved heatexchange arrangement by hich a thermostat control for preventingoverheating of the motor is provided.

A further object of my invention is the provision of improvedarrangements for heat exchange between the refrigerant and the motor forcooling the motor.

fine of thefeatures of my invention is the provision of a "sealed typerefrigeration unit which includes a casing which is substantiallysymmetrical about a vertical axis and which has a rotating shaftpositioned-substantially on said vertical axis.

A further feature of my invention is the provision of a sin le castingwhich serves as a motor support. provides a bearing for the rotatingshaft. and provides the compressor cylinders and muffler manifold.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of counter-balanceweights for balancing the off-set portions of the vertical shaft so asto simplify and shorten the structure and enclose the whole unit withina minimum'space.

A further feature of my invention is the provision of passages aroundthe motor and between the motor and the casing insuring a passage for 3Claims. (Cl. 230--206) 2 V expanded refrigerant in heat exchangerelationship with the motor.

A further feature of my invention is a provision of a shoulder on thecasing for the insertion of the electrical plug connections and for theinlet and outlet openings or fittings for the expanded and compressedrefrigerant.

Further objects. and features will appear from the following descriptionwhen considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein apreferred form of embodiment of the invention is shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of the unit showing the exterior of thecasing;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the refrigerating unit;

Fig. 3 is a view in section on an enlarged scale taken substantially onthe line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view on an enlarged scale having the bottomportion of the casing removed so as to show the mechanism within theshell;

Fig. 5 is a view in section on a still larger scale taken substantiallyon the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the casing in elevation andshowing the unit from a different angle and the resilient mountingthereof;

Fig. 7 is a view in section taken substantially on the line 7-1 of Fig.3 and showing the pump structure; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view in section taken substantially on the line8-8 of Fig. 4,

Referring in detail to the drawings wherein there is illustrated oneembodiment of my invention and in particular to Figures 1, 2 and 3thereof.-it may be seen that my improved refrigerating unit comprises anouter casing II, a motor unit I2. compressor cylinders i 3 and i4 (shownin Figures 3 and=4) and a muffler-manifold element l5. Suitable inletand outlet connections for the expanded and compressed refrigerant areprovided as are a lubricating system for lubricating the entire unit,electrical connections therefor and a resilient mounting for the unit,each of which parts will be now described in detail.

Referring especially to Figure 3. it may be seen that the casing II isan exterior shell which may be preferably formed from sheet metal, thelower portion thereof being in the form of a cylinder closed at one endand having a peripheral wall l6 and a bottom wall IT. The upper portionis also cylindrical in the main and has an end or upper wall It and acylindrical side wall-l9 of smaller diameter than the diameter of thecylindrical wall IS. The s dewall I9. however, is enlar ed to provide aflaring circumferentially extending shoulder 2| and provided with anenlarged circumferential flange 22 telescoping over the peri heral walll6 of the lower portion. The flange 22 and the upper part of theperipheral wall I6 of the lower portion are weld united as at 23. 'Theupper and lower portions of easing H thus are joined to provide a casingwhich is substantially symmetrical with respect to the central verticalaxis thereof as seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

The end wall it of the upper portion is provided with a depression 24within which there is disposed a mass of non-resonant material 25. Thismaterial is protected from extraneous oil or dirt by a coverin plate 26secured to the end wall by a stud 21 which may if desired be welded tothe end wall i8. The covering plate 26 holds the material under somecompression and provides a smooth exterior contour. This construc tionab orbs and deadens vibrations by the absorption thereof by thenon-resonant material 25.

The refrigerating unit H may preferably be spring mounted and for thispurpose a plurality of brackets 28 are provided as is shown in Figures1, 2 and 6. These brackets are mounted on the outside of the casing andare arranged to be supported by springs such as 29. Bolts 3| may passthrough the brackets 28 and the springs 29 and secure the unit to anvsuitable support such as the supports shown at 32.

In order to sim lify the construction, minimize the space required, andimprove the construction in general by way of decreasing cost. improvingrigidity, etc. I provide within the casing a single casting 33 whichserves as a support for the motor, provides a bearing for the rotatingshaft, forms the cylinders of the compressor, and provides a chamberwhich serves as a mutiler and manifold for the compressed gases. Thus,the casting 33 has an upper portion 34, an intermediate spider portion35. a cylinder portion 36, as well as a bottom bearing portion 31. Eachof these portions will be referred to later in describing the variousfunctional units associated with them. The upper portion of the castingis firmly secured within the inside of the upper part of the shell. Thusit may be seen that the upper portion 34 fits snugly within thecylindrical portion i 9 of the upper part of the casing and is securedby a press fit. It maybe secured thereto in any other suitable manner.

The driving motor l2 includes a stator portion comprising a stationarymounting 39 and motor windings 4|. The mounting 39 is secured within theupper portion 34 f the main casting 33 which portion 34 thus forms apart of the motor. Rotatively mounted within the stator is the rotor orarmature 42. The armature 42 is provided with a pair of weights 43 and44 arranged to counter-balance the oil-set weight of the crank shaft aswill be later described.

The motor drives a shaft 46 which is disposed in the vertical axis ofthe unit which is arranged substantially concentric about said verticalaxis. Thus the cylindrical portions l6 and I9 of the casing I l areconcentric about said axis and the main casting 33 except for thecylinders l3 and i4 and the unit i is substantially concentric aboutsuch axis. The shaft 46 is mounted in bearings 41 and 48. The bearing 41is secured by cap screws 49 to the intermediate spider portion 35 of themain casting. The bearing 48 is formed 4 as an integral part of thelowermost portion 31 of the main casting. The shaft 46 is provided witha crank throw 5| to which are connected cranks (such as the crank 54)for the pistons of the cylinders l3 and I4.

The compressor cylinders I 3 and II are substantially similar anddescription of one will suffice for both. As shown in Figure 3 thecylinder I3 is formed integrally as a part of the casting 33 within thecylinder portion 36 thereof. It provides an operating chamber 52 inwhich there is positioned a piston 53 connected to the crank 54 by ahollow wrist pin 55 held against axial movement by a spring clip 56. Aninlet valve 51 is provided for at times connecting the working chamber52 with an inlet recess 58 and an outlet valve 59 is provided for attimes connecting the working chamber 52 with an outlet recess 6|. Thecrank throw 5| is connected to both of the connecting rods for both ofthe cylinders i3 and Referring again to Figure 4, it may be seen thatthe cylinder portion 36 of the casting 33 has formed integrallytherewith intermediate the cylinders l3 and H a mufiler or manifold I5.The interior of this muilier or manifold is connected by passages formedwithin the casting 33 itself with the outlet recesses 6| of thecompressor cylinders l3 and 14. Thus the refrigerating gases arecompressed bythe action of the compressors l3 and i4 and forced throughthe recesses 6| to the manifold-muffler i5 whereby the compressed gasesflow together before being forced outside of the sealed unit and wherebythe noise of the compressors is minimized.

As stated above, the refrigerating unit is a part of acompressor-condenser-expander refrigerating system. Expandedrefrigerating gases coming from the expander which is outside of thesystem flow into the casing through the inlet plug 62 and fill theinterior of the casing above the level of the oil which level is shownat 63 in Figure 8. From the interior of the casing (referring to Figure3), the expanded gases are forced upward through the motor i2 and arethen drawn down through passages 64 formed in the upper part 34 of thecasting 33. Thus the gases are twice brought into heat exchangerelationship with the motor l2 and cool both the rotor element and thestator element thereof. From the passages 64, the expanded gases pass bymeans of tubes 65 to the inlet recesses 58 of each of the compressorunits l3 and I4. As stated above, the refrigerating gases, after beingcompressed by the compressors i3 and [4, are forced to the manifold l5.From the manifold i5 they pass by means of the outlet tube 66 to theoutlet plug 61. The outlet tube 66 is formed with a coil 68 below themanifold and this coil 68 is immersed in the lubrieating oil which fillsthe bottom portion of the casing.

I provide a construction in which all openings into the casing areformed in the shoulder 21.

Referring again to Figure 8 which shows more in detail the structure ofthe parts comprising the inlet for expanded gases associated with theplug 62, it may be seen that the plug 62 is sealed within the shoulder2| as by a gasket 69 and is thus connected to a tube H secured to andextending downward to a point within a concentric larger diameter sleeve13 which is perforated so that the expanded gases may pass into theinterior 2B of the casing H. The sleeve 13 is secured to the tube H andthe upper end thereof 7 is sealed by suitable means such as that shown,II and is provided with a cover I02.

acaaoo'r 5 at II. Thus I insure that any condensed portion of theexpanded refrigerant is boiled to a gas by the warm lubricant. On theother hand, the loop of the tube 46 in passing through the lubricant hasremoved therefrom a portion of the heat of compression and the lubricantis warmed thereby. The incoming expanded gases in passing upward throughthe motor and downward through passages 04 (being cooler than the heatedmotor) aid in keeping the motor cool. Not only do the gas inlet and thegas outlet as explained above extend through the shoulder 2i, but alsoas substantially explained the electrical connections also all arepositioned to extend through the shoulder.

I provide means by which the lubricant normally maintained in the lowerportion of the casing opposite ends of the vane I1 through an outletport I9, a radial passageway 8|, an axial passageway 82 and variouscircumferential grooves 83 and 84 to the bearings 41 and 48. It isforced out through radial passageways and 86 to lubricate the connectingrods 54 and through a passageway 81 to lubricate the wrist pins 55 andthe interior of the cylinders I3 and I4. The tubes as have loose fits inthe heads of the cylinders I3 and I4 and oil entering around the tubeslubricates the valves 51 and 59. Additional details of the lubricatingsystem and lubricating pump are disclosed in my co-pending applicationSerial No. 652,026, filed March 5, 1946, referred to above wherein theinventions involved in said lubricating pump and lubricating system areclaimed.

The electrical control for my improved refrigerating unit may be seenfrom a consideration of Figures 3, 4 and 5. A unit control assembly MIis mounted at one side on the cylindrical portion I9 and extends downover a portion of the shoulder 2I of the upper portion of the casinExtending through the cover I02 is an electrical inlet conduit I03 fromwhich three electrical leads I04. I05, and I00 extend. Within the coverI02 and extending through the shoulder 2I are three electric plugs I01,I09 and I09. These plugs pass through a gas tight sealed packing in theshoulder as is shown at III. The electrical lead i 04 is connected to athermostat II2 which is in turn connected to the plug I0I by anelectrical lead I I3. The thermostate I I2 is so arranged that theelectrical circuit is broken either by excessive heat or by overload ofelectrical demand or a combination of a lower high heat and a lesseroverload. The electrical leads I05 and I06 are connected to the plugsI08 and I09, respectively. Within the casing II (see Figure 4) the plugsI01, I08 and I09 are respectively connected by leads H4, II 5 and H6 tothe motor windings. As may be understood, the lead H6 is the main lead,the lead H5 is the starting lead and the lead H4 is the common lead.Thus it may be seen that the refrigerant inlet 62, the refrigerantoutlet 61. and the plugs I01, I08 and I09 all extend through theshoulder 2|. The only opening into the sealed casing are formed in theupper portion of the casing, and in fact the only openings are in theshoulder 2| thereof.

As may be clearly seen in Figures 3 and 5, the

thermostat II! is in close contact with the portion I9 of the casingwhich is in thermal contact with the cylindrical support portion 34 ofthe casting. The support portion 34 is in fact a part of the motor unitand thus an overheating of the motor is promptly transmitted tothermostat III and the electrical circuit is thereby broken and themotor is stopped.

It is believed that the operation of my improved refrigeratlng unit willbe clear from the above. vIn general, expanded refrigerant flows from anexpander not shown, into the interior 20 of the casing II through inlet62, tube II, sleeve and screen I3. Thence it is sucked upward throughthe motor anddownward through the passages 64. the tubes 05. therecesses 58. and the chambers 52' by the compressor units I3 and I4. Thecompression strokes of the compressors- I3 and I4 compress the gases andforce them out through recesses BI to muiller-manifold I5 from whichthey pass by tube 66 to outlet 61. From the outlet 61 the compressedgases pass to a condenser (not shown) and thence to the evaporator (alsonot shown).

In moving through the passages in and around the motor, the expandedgases aid in keeping the motor I2 cool. The compressed gases have partof their heat of compression removed by their passage through the loop60 of the tube 60 inasmuch as that loop dips into the lubricant in thebottom of the casing.

The various bearing surfaces are lubricated by oil pumped thereto by theoil pump formed by the shaft 46, the vane I6 and the chamber 00. Theelectric current is supplied through the unit I M and the unit as awhole is guarded against overheating by the thermostat H2. The wholeunit is resiliently mounted on springs 29.

It is to be understood that the above described embodiment of myinvention is for the purpose of illustration only and various changesmay be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of myinvention.

I claim:

1. In a sealed compressor for refrigerating mechan m; an exterior sealedcasing, the upper part of the casing having a cross dimension less thanhe lower part of the casing and the two parts being joined substantiallyat a flared shoulder; a main casting in the casing having a. supportingportion fitted in the upper part of the casing: a compressor cylinderformed integrally with the lower end of the main casting; a verticalshaf journalled in the casting; a motor for driving the shaft having abody fixedly located wit in the supporting portion of the casting; anoutlet for compressed refrigerant extending through and sealed into theshoulder of said casing; an inlet for refrigerant opening into the lowerpart of the casing; an inlet passage for the cylinder defined by aclearance between the motor body and the supporting part of the casting;and an inlet tube extending from the clearance to the cylinder, thecylinder having an inlet port opening upwardly adjacent the top surfacethereof and the inlet tube having a relatively loose fit in said portfor the seepage of lubricant from the inside of the easing into thecylinder.

2. In a sealed compressor for refrigerating mechanism; an exteriorsealed casing; a casting in the casing having a supporting portionfitted in a part of the casing; a plurality of compressor cylinders eachhaving an inlet port and each being formed as a part of the casting; amotor for driving the compressor cylinders having a body fixedly locatedwithin the supporting portion of the casting; an outlet for thecompressed refrigerant opening from said casing; an inlet forrefrigerant opening into the casing; an inlet passage for each of thecylinders defined by a clearance between the motor body and thesupporting part of the casting; and aninlet tube extending from eachclearance to the port of one of the cylinders and having a relativelyloose fit in said port for the seepage of lubricant from the inside ofthe casing into the cylinders.

3. In a sealed compressor for refrigerating mechanism; an exteriorsealed casing having an interior space; a compressor cylinder positionedwithin the said casing having an inlet port; a motor for driving saidcompressor cylinder; an outlet means for the compressed refrigerantsealed into said casing; an inlet for refrigerant opening into the spacewithin said casing; and

an inlet tube communicating with the space within said casing andextending to and having a relatively loose fit in said port for theseepage of lubricant from the inside of the casing into the cylinder.

@ WILLIAM W. HIGHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

